Potato Bread Perfect for Toast King Arthur Flour.com Yield: Two 8½ x 4½-inch loaves or one 4 x 13-inch pain de mie loaf 1½ cups water ¼ cup nonfat dry milk 2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. instant yeast 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 6 oz. mashed potato (see note below) 4¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour Measure the water into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir in the dry milk, salt, yeast and oil. Blend in the potatao and the flour. When it is mixed together well enough so the dough begins to come away from the side of the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured kneading surface and knead for 3 to 4 minutes (or better yet, use a standing mixer). Don't add more flour to make it more manageable; it is the slackness that creates the texture in the finished bread that allows it to "imbibe the butter with more freedom". Let the dough relax while you wash out and grease the mixing bowl. Knead for a further 3 or 4 minutes, put the dough into the bowl and then turn it over so the top of the dough has a thin film of grease on it. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 1 to 1½ hours. Knock the dough down and turn it out onto a floured surface. If you're going to use two bread pans, cut it in half and pat each half into a pan; the dough is wet enough to resist shaping. Cover the dough and let it rise for 45 minutes to an hour. About 15 minutes before you want to bake your bread, preheat your oven to 350o. Bake the two separate loaves for 35 minutes, the pain de mie for 45 minutes, removing the cover of the pan for the final 10 minutes of baking. Turn the loaf (or loaves) out and let them cool on a rack. Note: Rather than using mashed potato flakes, thoroughly prick a baking potato (such as an Idaho), microwave it for 3 minutes, then turn it over and microwave for a further 3 minutes. Let it cool, peel it and mash it. The flavor will be significantly better.

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